IN MEMORY OF KEEPSAKE page 7

When Keepsake was born, she was very tiny, and had a definite problem, the soles of her rear feet came up backwards and touched the back of her legs. She would have had to walk on her fetlock joint. I milked mom and fed her until early the next morning when the vet arrived. At that time we made splints from regular dog splints with plenty of padding under them and then tapped around. Her front feet and legs were normal at birth, but with the strain, they started to bow over so they needed support also. All outward appearances said she was a normal foal, and full term. Every other day the splints had to have fresh padding redone, and Keepsake would lie so quiet on my lap as we did this day after day. Then she got a little respiratory thing going on and started her on antibotics, which in turn killed the friendly bacteria in her stomach, and caused big gas and bloating problems. So bad that the vet had to put her under and insert a cathader in each of her sides to expel the gas. This worked great, UNTIL she got an absecess from the procedure, and after days of having hot packs applied to no avail, she had to have it lanced open, and a drain tube left in which allowed me to flush the wound out twice a day. Still she was an angel. Shortly after that she developed an ulcer, and remained on Tagamet the rest of her short life, as stress was a big factor here. Finally as she got heavier, we had to go from splints to fiberglass casts. Some times we rode to the vets 3 times a week to get proper adjustments, so as not to rub sores. Finally the support on the front legs could be left off, and things were looking brighter, again. Then the casts started making big sores under them and they would have to be left off to dry up. Now, the hard time comes, when I see she can not, and does not want to get up much or walk around anymore, as without support for the fetlock joints to bear her weight now, it was becoming painful for her. I could see it in her eyes as she would look up at me as if to say, "I think we are loosing the battle Mom." I knew it was time, she knew also, as she was very smart, having lived in the house with me, and her Mom, 24 hours a day since the night she was born, we have shared my every waking moment together. Yes, Keepsake was a dwarf. But that did not become apparent appearance wise until she was over 4 months old, and the only sign was that her neck lenght was not growing in proportion now. The little horse with a heart as big as the sun. I believe God sent this littlest Angel to me for a special reason, and as long as I live I don't believe I will ever get over the hurting and the tears that constantly are falling in my heart with missing her. But I know she is in a special place now, and is able to run as fast as the wind, and suffers no more. As I had made a promise to her and myself that when her quality of life ceased and she got in pain, I would set her free. I looked upon her as a gift from heaven, just on loan to me for a short time ....